2010/12/01

North Korean Anchorwoman Ri Chun Hee Becomes Famous – digg china

North Korean anchorwoman’s sonorous broadcasts become famous

On the 23rd, an exchange of fire occurred between South Korean and North Korea near their borders, attracting the attention of the entire world. After the exchange of fire, North Korean television stated that its territorial waters have been violated and that it will fight back, and North Korea’s “The People’s Announcer/Broadcaster” Ri Chun Hee’s sonorous voice one again shook the world. North Korea provides “special treatment” for its news anchorwoman.

The post title on Tiexue was: “North Korea’s anchorwoman becomes famous: Her voice is even more powerful than cannons!”

The joke is that her voice is so frightening that it can scare North Korea’s enemies.

Here is another news report featuring Ri Chun Hee where she is like a mother full of anger criticizing her son when talking about South Korea but completely changes when talking about the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

JASON STROTHER: There's a familiar face that greets North Koreans when they tune in to watch the news. An older woman, dressed in a traditional pink gown, bows to the camera before speaking.

RI CHUN HEE: [speaking Korean]

STROTHER: That's Ri Chun Hee. She appears at the top of every newscast. Her beat is the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il. She reports every public appearance Kim makes, and recites the praises he's said to receive from abroad. According to a profile in a North Korean magazine, Ri was born in 1943. She's worked as a reporter for nearly 40 years. Analysts say landing a news anchor job in North Korea isn't easy. You have to demonstrate ideological credentials and come from a trustworthy family just to get into journalism school.

BRIAN MYERS: Ri Chun Hee is an exception, in that she didn't go through the usual journalistic background, but instead, she kind of majored in drama.

STROTHER: Brian Myers analyzes North Korean propaganda at Dongseo University in Busan.

MYERS: That kind of background has stood her in good stead, I suppose because she has a very dramatic style of delivery.

STROTHER: Myers says there's a lot of showmanship that goes into North Korean broadcasting. He says news anchors use four distinct tones depending on what they're talking about. For instance, there's the lofty, wavering voice, used when praising the nation's leadership. That's Ri Chun Hee's forte.

RI CHUN HEE: [speaking Korean]

STROTHER: There's a staccato explanatory tone used for the weather. And then a more natural voice for uncontroversial news stories. But the one that's perhaps best known outside of North Korea is what Myers calls the invective tone.

MYERS: It's a hate filled voice. It kind of reminds me of what George Orwell was talking about in "1984," when he talked about the two-minute hate. It's a voice just laden with scorn and hatred; I'm not going to try to imitate it."